Osteotomy drill bit to produce an optimally shaped jawbone opening for a dental implant and abutment

ABSTRACT

A dental drill bit is configured to drill a particularly shaped opening in a human jawbone. The dental drill bit includes first, second, and third portions. The first portion includes a bullet-shaped contour formed by revolving a curve about an axis creating an apex and a bottom, and is so shaped to correspond to a bullet-shaped portion of a dental implant. The second portion includes a hemisphere frustum formed coaxial with the axis of the bullet-shaped contour, and extends from the bottom of the bullet-shaped contour, and corresponds to a portion of an abutment that is supported by the implant. The first and second portions may also each include flutes for cutting/drilling into bone. The third portion includes a shaft that extends from a bottom of the hemisphere frustum and is formed co-axial with the axis of the bullet-shaped contour, and is configured to be secured within a dental drill.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/776,246, filed on Dec. 6, 2018, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The subject technology relates generally to preparing a surgical sitefor an endosseous implant, and more particularly to a dental drill bitfor forming an optimally shaped opening in a human jawbone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Several decades ago the loss of teeth was remedied by the use ofdentures that were constructed to replace the missing teeth and whichwere supported by surrounding teeth and/or by underlying tissue. The useof dentures has long been supplanted by implants that receive acorresponding abutment and a crown.

Dental implants are typically endosteal, being a “root” device that isusually made of titanium, and which is inserted into the jaw through thebone at the alveolar ridges. During the healing period, osseointegrationoccurs in which the bone grows in and around the implant to providesupport. Thereafter the abutment may be attached to the implant, withthe abutment protruding through the periostium and being positioned toreceive a crown that resembles a tooth.

There are a couple of approaches for preparing the surgical site, i.e.,for creating a socket in the jaw bone region where the implant is to beinstalled. With either approach, a small pilot hole, usually 2 mm indiameter, is typically drilled in the alveolar ridge to define the axisof the implant socket that will ultimately receive the implant.Thereafter, with the first method, successively larger diameterosteotomes may be inserted into the pilot hole for bone compaction towiden the opening sufficiently to receive the implant. Alternatively, inthe second method, the pilot hole is enlarged using a conventionaldental drill bit.

The dental drill bit disclosed herein improves upon the opening formedby the prior art devices and methods.

It is noted that citing herein of any patents and published patentapplications or non-patent literature is not an admission as to any ofthose references constituting prior art with respect to the hereindisclosed dental drill bit.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a dental drill bitconfigured to form an opening that in general will closely conform to abullet-shaped portion of a dental implant.

It is another object of the invention to provide a dental drill bitconfigured to form an opening that is shaped like part of a sphere toconform to a portion of an abutment that is supported by the implant.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a dental drill bitconfigured to form a lower portion of an opening that closely conformsto a bullet shape of a dental implant, with an upper portion of theopening that is shaped like part of a sphere.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Dental implants, which are usually made of titanium, are inserted intoimplant sockets formed in the jaw through the bone at the alveolarridges. After the healing period, during which time the bone grows inand around the implant to provide support, an abutment is attached tothe implant, with the abutment protruding through the periostium andbeing positioned to receive a crown that resembles a tooth.

Formation of the implant socket in the jaw bone region typicallyrequires drilling a pilot hole that is thereafter enlarged using aconventional drill bit.

A dental drill bit is disclosed herein that improves upon the openingformed by the prior art devices and methods, as it produces aparticularly shaped opening in a human jawbone. The dental drill bitincludes first, second, and third portions. The first portion includes abullet-shaped contour formed by revolving a curve about an axis creatingan apex and a bottom, and is so shaped to correspond to a bullet-shapedportion of a dental implant. The second portion includes a hemispherefrustum formed coaxial with the axis of the bullet-shaped contour, andextends from the bottom of the bullet-shaped contour, and corresponds toa portion of an abutment that is supported by the implant. The first andsecond portions may also each include flutes for cutting/drilling intobone. The third portion includes a shaft that extends from a bottom ofthe hemisphere frustum and is formed co-axial with the axis of thebullet-shaped contour, and is configured to be secured within a dentaldrill.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description of the various example embodiments is explained inconjunction with appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an osteotomy drill bit inaccordance with a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the osteotomy drill bit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2A is an enlarged detail view of the dome portion of the osteotomydrill bit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the osteotomy drill bit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the osteotomy drill bit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is another front view of the osteotomy drill bit as shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the drill bit shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional image that illustrates a convention implantdrill bit being used to form a cylindrical opening in the alveolar ridgefor a dental implant;

FIG. 8 is a photograph of two conventional dental implant openingsformed in the jawbone of a patient using the conventional drill bit ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 9 illustrates a first embodiment of the dental drill bit disclosedherein being used to form an optimally shaped opening in a humanjawbone;

FIG. 10 is an exploded view that illustrates the opening in the jawbonethat was formed in FIG. 9, but after an implant has been receivedtherein, and prior to installation of the abutment and crown showntherein;

FIG. 11 is a transparent view showing an implant after being received inan opening formed as shown in FIG. 9, and just prior to receiving theabutment and crown thereon;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a dome-shaped reamer that may be usedin a finishing operation after formation of the opening in the jawboneshown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a front view of the dome-shaped reamer of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the dome-shaped reamer of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14A is a cross-sectional view through the drill bit shown in FIG.13;

FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view through the top of the drill bitshown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 15 is a top view of the dome-shaped reamer of FIG. 12;

FIG. 16 is the front view of the dome-shaped reamer as shown in FIG. 12,but is shown dimensioned for a particular size for the dome-shapedreamer to be used after the particularly sized drill bit shown in FIG.16-17;

FIG. 17 is aside view of the dome-shaped reamer shown in FIG. 16;

FIGS. 18A-18D illustrate a series of different sized drill bits formedas shown generally in FIGS. 1-4, with each having the same 4 mm root,but having various different lengths for the bullet portion;

FIGS. 19A-19D illustrate a series of different sized drill bits formedas shown generally in FIGS. 1-4, with each having the same 5 mm root,but having various different lengths for the bullet portion;

FIGS. 20A-20D illustrate a series of different sized drill bits formedas shown generally in FIGS. 1-4, with each having the same 6 mm root,but having various different lengths for the bullet portion; and

FIGS. 21A-21C illustrate a series of different sized dome-shaped reamersformed as shown generally in FIGS. 13-15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used throughout this specification, the word “may” is used in apermissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than amandatory sense (i.e., meaning must), as more than one embodiment of theinvention may be disclosed herein. Similarly, the words “include”,“including”, and “includes” mean including but not limited to.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” may beopen-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive inoperation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, Band C”, “one or more of A, B. and C”, and “A, B, and/or C” herein meansall of the following possible combinations: A alone; or B alone; or Calone; or A and B together; or A and C together; or B and C together; orA, B and C together.

Also, the disclosures of all patents, published patent applications, andnon-patent literature cited within this document are incorporated hereinin their entirety by reference. However, it is noted that citing hereinof any patents, published patent applications, and non-patent literatureis not an admission as to any of those references constituting prior artwith respect to the present invention.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics ofany particular embodiment disclosed herein, may be combined in anysuitable manner with any of the other embodiments disclosed herein.

Additionally, any approximating language, as used herein throughout thespecification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative orqualitative representation that could permissibly vary without resultingin a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, avalue modified by a term such as “about” is not to be limited to theprecise value specified, and may include values that differ from thespecified value in accordance with applicable case law. Also, in atleast some instances, a numerical difference provided by theapproximating language may also correspond to the precision of aninstrument that may be used for measuring the value. A numericaldifference provided by the approximating language may also correspond toa manufacturing tolerance associated with production of theaspect/feature being quantified. Furthermore, a numerical differenceprovided by the approximating language may also correspond to an overalltolerance for the aspect/feature that may be derived from variationsresulting from a stack up (i.e., the sum) of multiple individualtolerances.

Any use of a friction fit (i.e., an interface fit) between two matingparts described herein indicates that the opening (e.g., a hole) issmaller than the part received therein (e.g., a shaft), which may be aslight interference in one embodiment in the range of 0.0001 inches to0.0003 inches, or an interference of 0.0003 inches to 0.0007 inches inanother embodiment, or an interference of 0.0007 inches to 0.0010 inchesin yet another embodiment, or a combination of such ranges. Other valuesfor the interference may also be used in different configurations (seee.g., “Press Fit Engineering and Design Calculator,” available at:www.engineersedge.com/calculators/machine-design/press-fit/press-fit-calculator.htm).

It is further noted that any use herein of relative terms such as “top,”“bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “vertical,” and “horizontal” are merelyintended to be descriptive for the reader, and may be based on thedepiction of those features within the figures for one particularposition of the device, and such terms are not intended to limit theorientation with which the device of the present invention may beutilized.

There are a couple of approaches for creating an implant socket in thejaw bone region where the dental implant is to be installed. With eitherapproach, a small pilot hole, usually a 2 mm diameter hole, is typicallydrilled in the alveolar ridge to define the axis of the implant socketthat will ultimately receive the implant. Thereafter, with the firstmethod, successively larger diameter osteotomes may be inserted into thepilot hole for bone compaction to widen the opening sufficiently toreceive the implant.

Alternatively, in the second method, the pilot hole is enlarged using aconventional dental drill bit (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,650 toNiznick and U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,572 to Lazzara). FIG. 7 illustrates aconventional drill bit being used to form a cylindrical opening for adental implant, and FIG. 8 shows a photograph of two cylindrical dentalimplant openings formed in the jawbone of a patient using theconventional drill bit of FIG. 7.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, asseen in FIGS. 1-3, a dental drill bit 100 for use in a drilling machinefor drilling a particularly shaped opening in a human jawbone maybroadly include a first portion 110, a second portion 120, and a thirdportion 130.

The first portion 110 may be formed with a bullet-shaped exteriorcontour. In particular, the bullet-shaped contour may be formed byrevolving a curve about an axis 100X, which curve may be an arc having aradius R1 that is revolved about the axis 100X. As seen in FIG. 3, thearc may have a tangency that is parallel to the axis 100X at the base ofthe first portion where it adjoins the second portion 120 (i.e., at110T), and the are may extend away from the root a certain distance110L. As seen in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the revolution of the end of the areat that tangent point 110T may form a circle having a radius R2. Thebullet-shaped contour being so formed is constructed for at least aportion thereof to approximate the shape of the implant that is to bereceived in the socket formed using the drill bit 100. However, thebullet-shaped contour is not intended to match the exact shape of theimplant. The bullet-shaped contour is sized and formed, as discussedhereinafter, to drill a hole that is corresponds to the size of theimplant to be used at a particular tooth location, in particular beingintended to be smaller than the implant (e.g., within a range of 0.010inches and 0.030 inches smaller diametrically in one embodiment, orwithin a range of 0.030 inches and 0.050 inches smaller diametrically inanother embodiment, or other ranges or a combination of such ranges maybe used in other embodiments), which allows the smaller sized implant tobe torqued into the osteotomy made by the drill a predetermined amount.Therefore, the bullet-shaped contour is thereby sized and formed toapproximate the conical shape of most implants that are currentlymanufactured. As discussed hereinafter, if a larger implant is to beused, the drill will need to have a larger radius R1, and similarly,smaller implants will require a smaller radius R1.

In order for the first portion 110 to be able to cut into the jaw bone,a series of flutes may be formed in the bullet-shaped contour. There arepreferably three flutes—a first helical shaped flute 110Fi, a secondhelical shaped flute 110Fii, and a third helical shaped flute 110Fiii,each formed in the bullet-shaped contour to be equally spaced about theaxis 100X, as seen in FIG. 4. The tip of the first portion 110 may alsobe formed to have a more distinct point, by being formed with a chamferC that may be at an angle Θ to the axis 100X. The angle Θ may be in therange of 20 degrees to 60 degrees, and may more preferably be in therange of 30 degrees to 55 degrees, and may most preferably be in therange of 40 degrees to 50 degrees.

The second portion 120 of the dental drill bit 100, as seen in theenlarged detail view in FIG. 2A, may also have two parts (120A and120B), where the first part 120A is formed as part of a sphere, i.e., aspherical frustum (aka, a spherical segment), and the second part 120Bbeing a cylinder, i.e., with a diameter, D1 (FIG. 5), or radius R4 (FIG.2A), that extends a distance L2 away from a base of the sphericalfrustum. Since the spherical frustum of the first part 120A preferablyhas a bottom that coincides with the equatorial plane of the sphere, itmay also be considered to be a hemispherical frustum, having a baseradius that is the full radius of the sphere, and an upper radius thatis determined by the height L1 that is utilized (note that the distanceto the apex of the dome, L4, as seen in FIG. 5, is simply be the sum ofL1+L2). The axis of the hemispherical frustum of the first part 120A ofthe second portion 120 is formed to be substantially coaxial with theaxis of rotation 100X used to form the bullet-shaped contour of thefirst portion 110. The hemispherical frustum may extend a distance L1from the base of the bullet-shaped first portion to its equatorialplane, as seen in FIG. 2A. In one embodiment, the hemispherical frustumof the first part 120A and the cylinder of the second part 120B of thesecond portion 120 may also be formed with a plurality of flutes toachieved desired cutting to form the part-hemispherical surface in thealveolar ridge. The flutes may have sides that may be oriented atroughly a 45 degree angle to the axis. In one embodiment, as seen inFIG. 4, eight flutes may be formed in the hemispherical frustum of thefirst part 120A (i.e., flutes 120F1, 120F2, 120F3, 120F4, 120F5, 120F6,120F7, 120F8). Other numbers of flutes may also be used. Also, inanother embodiment, the flutes may be formed in the cylinder of thesecond part 120B of the second portion 120 and may only be formed toextend part-way along the hemispherical frustum of the first part 120A,(i.e., a distance L3) as shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, materialremoval may be accomplished by the small portion of the exposedhemispherical frustum beyond where the flutes terminate by impregnatinga particular grit of diamond dust thereon (i.e., medium to coarse grit)for that surface to act as a grinder.

The hemispherical frustum of the first part 120A is so shaped with theflutes only extending a distance L3 so that it may form a correspondingopening in the bone that determines the region where the future crownand abuttment will be placed, which is referred to herein as the“bedding” of the future crown and abuttment, which seeks to replicatereal human anatomy.

The use of the term “bedding” refers to the anatomically correctreceiving zone for the future crown and abutment. Current drills onlymake the osteotomy for the implant. They fail to drill a shallow zoneimmediately outside of the implant that will function as the site toreceive and be shaped to correspond to the future abutment and crown.Drill 100 is conceived and configured to accomplish both. Therefore, the“bedding” may be, considered to be a second osteotomy, or an extensionof the existing osteotomy that functions to accommodate the abutment,which abutments all tend to have a spherically shaped portion.Therefore, the corresponding spherical surface that is formed in thebone by the hemispherical frustum creates an anatomically correctspherical surface portion (a proper “receiving zone”) for the futureabutment (and crown) that will be placed 3-4 months later.

The third portion 130 may include a shaft 130S having a diameter D3,that may extend from the end of the cylinder of the second part 120B ofthe second portion 120. The axis of the shaft 130S is formed to besubstantially co-axial with the axis of rotation 100X used to form thebullet-shaped contour of the first portion 110, and may extend adistance 130L from the end of the cylinder of the second part 120B, asseen in FIG. 3. A portion of the distal end of the shaft 130S may beformed with an annular recess having a diameter, D2, and length, L5(FIG. 6), being positioned a distance, L6, away from the end of theshaft 130S, and which may also be notched to form a flat surface thereon(i.e., having a notch length, L7, from the end of the shaft, and a depththat reduces the full shaft dimeter to have a maximum extent of L8),which features on the shaft may be used for securing the dental drillbit 100 in the chuck of a drill machine.

After the dental drill bit 100 has been used to form the two partopening in the jawbone (see FIG. 9) by using both the bullet-shapedexterior contour of the first portion 110 and the hemispherical frustumof the first part 120A of the second portion 120, the dome-shaped reamer200 shown in FIGS. 12-14 may be used to clean up the spherical surfaceof the exposed jawbone. The spherical surface of the dome-shaped reamer200 may be impregnated with a fine grit of diamond dust for the surfaceto act as a finish grinder.

FIGS. 5-6 illustrates one size for the dental drill bit, in which theradius R1 of the arc is 34.6 mm, and the arc is positioned to revolveabout the axis 100X at a radius R2 of 2 mm (i.e., a 4 mm diameter) toform a length 110L of 10 mm, and where the radius R3 of thehemispherical frustum of the first part 120A of the second portion 120is 2.5 mm (D1=5 mm), and the length L3 is 1.5 mm and length L4 is 3 mm,making the length L1 1.5 mm. The shaft and notch dimension may be:D2=1.4, D3=2.35, L5=1 mm, L6=0.85 mm, L7=2.65, and L8=1.78 mm. (Note,the corresponding finish reamer 200 is shown dimensioned in FIGS. 16-17,and would have the following parameters: 200L1=15 mm, 200L2=3 mm,200L2=1 mm, 200L4=0.85 mm, 200L5=2.65 mm, 200L6=1.78 mm, 200D1=2.35 mm,200D2=5 mm, 200D3=1.4 mm, and 200R1=2.5 mm). This particular size drillbit that is shown in FIGS. 5-6 is also shown in FIG. 18B (i.e., having a4 mm diameter or 2 mm radius, and a 10 mm length for the bulletportion). FIGS. 18A-18D illustrate a family of such drill bits each ofwhich has the 4 mm diameter and a different length 110L (i.e., lengthsof 8.5 mm, 10 mm, 11.5 mm, and 13 mm). Similarly, FIGS. 19A-19Dillustrate a family of such drill bits each of which has a 5 mmdiameter, and a varying length, and FIGS. 20A-20D illustrate a family ofsuch drill bits each of which has a 6 mm diameter and a varying length.

FIGS. 21A-21C show a corresponding series of finish reamers.

It is noted that the 34.58 mm radius and the corresponding radius R2 of2 mm that is used for the dental drill bit of FIGS. 5-6 is used toaccommodate implants that are 4 mm in diameter, which implant size isthe most common diameter used in implant dentistry. It should also benoted that it is difficult to specifically identify which sized drillbit would tend to be used for each of the tooth numbers 2-18 and 15-31because of the variation in bone sizes between different patients. Thesize of the implant that will be placed in the socket, and therefore thedrill bit size used at a particular site, will to be selected to fit thewidth and the length of the bone at the tooth number undergoing thesurgery, for that particular patient (i.e., the size/quality of the boneat tooth number 15 for a 5 foot tall 150 pound elderly and edentulousman will likely be quite different than the size/quality of the bone attooth number 15 for a 6′ 6″ tall 275 pound 25 year old professionalfootball player). In general, smaller implants will require socketformation using a smaller diameter drill bit, while larger implants willrequire use of larger diameter drill bits. As such, a kit may be formedcontaining each of the drill bits shown in FIGS. 18A-21C, and mayinclude multiple drill bits of various diameters and lengths. The kitpermits a drill bit to be chosen according to the dental implantsurgeon's assessment of the bone parameters of the particular patient(e.g., width, length, bone quality, etc.). The drill bit that isselected for a particular tooth number of a particular patient isintended to be undersized relative to the implant that is to be used.After the osteotomy is drilled, the softness of the bone will allow theuser to place the implant, similar to where an undersized hole isdrilled into a wood beam into which a wood screw with a larger diameteris torqued and secured. The softness of the bone (or wood) relative tothe implant (or screw) permits it to be installed despite the relativesize difference.

It is further noted that the radius R1 and the radius of revolution R2are interrelated, and as one radius changes in moving from a first drillbit size to a second drill bit size, so does the other radius; thus, theradius of 34.58 is not used on each drill bit shown in FIGS. 18A-20D.

While illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments of thepresent invention are provided hereinabove, those skilled in the art andhaving the benefit of the present disclosure will appreciate thatfurther embodiments may be implemented with various changes within thescope of the present invention. Other modifications, substitutions,omissions and changes may be made in the design, size, materials used orproportions, operating conditions, assembly sequence, or arrangement orpositioning of elements and members of the exemplary embodiments withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention.

Accordingly, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should notbe limited by any of the above-described example embodiments, but shouldbe defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dental drill bit configured to drill a particularly shaped opening in a human jawbone being shaped to receive a dental implant therein, said dental drill comprising: a first portion, said first portion comprising: a bullet-shaped contour formed by revolving a curve about an axis to create an apex and a bottom, and being shaped to correspond to a bullet-shaped portion of the dental implant; and a first helical shaped flute, a second helical shaped flute, and a third helical shaped flute, each formed in said bullet-shaped contour; a second portion, said second portion comprising: a hemisphere frustum formed coaxial with the axis of said bullet-shaped contour, said hemisphere frustum configured to extend from the bottom of said bullet-shaped contour, and being shaped to create a hemisphere-frustum-shaped socket portion that corresponds to a portion of an abutment that is supported by the implant; and a plurality of flutes formed in said hemisphere frustum; and a third portion comprising: a shaft, said shaft formed co-axial with the axis of said bullet-shaped contour; and wherein said shaft extends from a bottom of said hemisphere frustum; shaped means for securing said shaft of said dental drill bit to a drill.
 2. The dental drill according to claim 1 wherein said curve comprises an arc.
 3. The dental drill according to claim 2 wherein said arc at said bottom of said bullet-shaped contour is parallel to the axis.
 4. The dental drill according to claim 3 wherein said apex of said bullet-shaped contour of said first portion is chamfered at an angle.
 5. The dental drill according to claim 4 wherein said first helical shaped flute, said second helical shaped flute, and said third helical shaped flute formed in said bullet-shaped contour are equally spaced about the axis, being spaced 120 degrees apart.
 6. The dental drill according to claim 5 wherein said plurality of helical shaped flutes formed in said second portion are equally spaced about the axis.
 7. The dental drill according to claim 6 wherein a top of said spherical frustum is formed with a first radius being the same as a radius of said bottom of said bullet-shaped contour of said first portion, and a bottom of said spherical frustum is formed with a second radius.
 8. The dental drill according to claim 7 wherein said second portion comprises a cylinder configured to extend from said bottom of said spherical frustum, said cylinder formed coaxial with the axis of said first portion, and with a radius of said cylinder being the same as said second radius.
 9. The dental drill according to claim 8 wherein said plurality of helical shaped flutes formed in said second portion to extend from said cylinder part way to said top of said spherical frustum.
 10. The dental drill according to claim 9 further comprising diamond dust impregnated on said second portion between said top of said spherical frustum and said extent of said helical shaped flutes formed in said second portion.
 11. The dental drill according to claim 10 wherein said diamond dust comprises a medium grit to coarse grit. 